I love mushrooms in all forms nowadays, even though I detested them up until my mid-twenties. However, as a child I found them to have such a strong flavour that I could detect even the tiniest amount of mushroom in strongly flavoured dishes; nowadays I think they're mild.

I suspect I've just lost the ability to taste whatever chemical it was I hated so much.

We recently had to put our 15yr old dog down due to dementia. Just like with people, it's terrible to watch your beloved pet suffer mentally as well. At the end, his anxiety was so bad none of us were sleeping and he was shaking so hard the whole bed would move. This is slightly off topic, but a lot of people are not aware that there are hospice services for elderly animals. Ours was a godsend. Having someone come to the house, instead of taking him to a vet was worth every penny (and it really wasn't much more expensive than normal vet).

Yes, I joke about Sirocco's cognitive decline but that's partly a defence mechanism. His complete incontinence, for example, is not at all funny - especially as he doesn't have the mental ability required to not walk or sit in it The only reason I haven't had him put down is that he's not at all anxious or unhappy. He's still a loving, purring little critter.

There isn't that type of hospice service available in my area (at least, not one that's willing to launder a lot of towels and scrub my carpet) but it's good to know they exist. Fortunately my vet is happy to board him occasionally, which I might use for respite care. I'm starting to consider whether it could be reasonable or ethical, or whether I could forgive myself, if I had him put down for MY sanity

Our hospice service didn't clean, but they took care of keeping him comfortable as long as possible with medication and examinations. He was so scared of the vet's office he would get aggressive and they couldn't examine him properly. And when he was in too much pain to walk/move, we couldn't pick him up to take him because the pain would make him snap. And this was the most laid back, non-aggressive dog prior to dementia/arthritis. They did an in-home euthanasia on our balcony, where he loved to be, with our other dog by his side.

This article really helped us when it came time to decide it was time. It touches on some of your feelings of is it ethical/reasonable to put a pet down for your own sanity.